Friday, April 20, 2012

Birthday Surprises...

I had been massively looking forward to my birthday weekend, even though I had no idea what was in store for me! Liam had not given me any clues as to what was going on, and I was intrigued and excited to find out what he had planned! On Saturday morning, he told me to pack my bags for the weekend - I would need casual clothes, bathers, and clothes for going out. When I asked him what "going out" entailed, and if we were going out for dinner, he told me that he supposed he would have to feed me along the way!

This mystery, although exciting, made it very difficult to know what to pack!

My bags for one night away. I suppose you could say I haven't quite mastered the art of packing light.

We jumped into the ute, and hit the road!

Liam took an exit to avoid heavy traffic, and the possibilities were running through my mind. He feigned a big hissy fit at the city traffic and I had to tell him to calm down.

It turns out it was all an act!

When we first started dating, he planned a fancy weekend away to try and win me over. That weekend, he surprised me with a night at the gorgeous 5* Crown Metropol. As we approached, I pointed it out and giggled reminiscing about our date there. We had had a lot planned, so never really got time to enjoy the facilities, and have been saying since then that we should go back for a visit.

He had pretended to take a wrong turn to throw me off the scent... as we pulled into the driveway he yelled out "Damn it! Since we're already here, we may as well stay the night!" Cheeky bugger.

I heart this bed so much. It is like sleeping on a giant marshmallow!

The room was exactly the same as the one we stayed in last time, only the opposite way around. It was kind of like living in a mirror! I loved being in the same surroundings, and evoking memories from our previous weekend away.

Everything was so pretty and perfect!

Even a bottle of sparkling wine on ice!

We decided to leave that for later, and head out for a bite to eat. Wandering around Southbank, there's definitely not any shortage of choices! As it was getting on in the afternoon, and I wasn't sure what was planned for dinner, ﻿we decided not to eat anywhere too fancy and save our stomach space.

A glass of rose for him, and a sparkling pink moscato for her!

This was our first alcoholic beverage in a month, so we savoured it! I'm not sure if it was the shape of the glass (which I love, by the way!) or the month off alcohol, but I was impressed by the way Liam sipped his wine throughout lunch. Usually he guzzles it within moments of being placed in front of him!

﻿

We each ordered a wagyu burger, and a side of onion rings to share. Unfortunately, lunch was a little disappointing. The burger patty was incredibly dry, and the onion rings were more like shreds rather than the thick juicy rings we'd been hoping for. Oh well!

After lunch, we spent some time in the swimming pool and just enjoying the hotel room before we had to get ready for the next surprise! Liam had requested a higher level floor, and we were given level 22. The views were absolutely stunning! I wish I'd brought along a proper camera to capture some shots.

We jumped into a cab, with the concierge and driver laughing at me as I covered my ears with a "la la la I can't hear you!" while Liam gave him the address we needed to be at.

YAY! Draculas!

You're not allowed to take photos of the show, but I did manage this sneaky shot of my dessert!

Liam had paid for VIP tickets, so we enjoyed some champagne, cocktails and jelly shots upstairs before being seated for our three-course meal and an awesome show! Loved the outfit! So much colour, very sexy, and lots of bling!

We decided to get up early the next morning so that we could have a leisurely breakfast and then make the most of the hotel's pool/spa facilities before heading to the football. As the alarm went off, I looked out the window and saw the sky tinted a beautiful shade of orange as the sun peeked through the buildings.

I adore Melbourne.

As tempting as it was to lie in bed all day staring at the view, Liam had arranged for us to have a buffet breakfast at the hotel's restaurant - Mr Hive. The last time we were here, the restaurant (Maze) belonged to the Gordon Ramsay empire. Apparently that was a failure and closed down last December, making way for this newcomer.

Walking in, the decor looked vaguely familiar although a few changes had been made.

What hadn't changed, however, is the quality of the food! The scrambled eggs were just as smooth and creamy as I remember, the hashbrowns cooked to crispy perfection, the mushrooms meaty and flavoursome, and gorgeous rolls of salty smoked salmon.

The pancakes were a complete surprise to me! They were thick, puffy things which resembled a hamburger bun more than anything, however they were so light and fluffly and absolutely melted in my mouth! My only regret is that I could not fit more breakfast into my tummy! YUM.

After consuming that massive amount of food, the last thing I should have been doing is squeezing into my bikini! However, it was a lovely day and there was a gorgeous pool and spa upstairs that was begging to be used. Who am I to object?!

Located on level 27 is a gorgeous infinity pool and a small heated pool, with the most amazing views!

Next to the pool are a collection of sunbeds and lounges beneath these massive funky light shades.

They look like big puffy jellyfish to me!

We spent time alternating between the big swimming pool, the little heated pool, using the steam room and jet spa in the changing rooms, and lounging on these big comfortable sun beds...

Look at that gorgeous city view!

It was a perfect way to spend my birthday weekend!

PS : We didn't end up having time (more like, we preferred to spend the time lazing by the pool!) to pick up my birthday present, but not to worry! I've been assured we will find an occasion to do that soon :)